Basic Research
Basic research is essential to us all
Standing on the shoulders of Bell Labs and Xerox PARC, NTT Research is laying the foundation for significant advances in quantum computing, cryptography and medicine.
As an institution focused solely on pure, basic research, NTT Research is in rare company. While at one time it was not unusual for large corporations to invest significantly in research, in recent years that model has largely fallen by the wayside. NTT Research believed it was time to revive the practice as only deep research will lead to dramatic, game-changing technological gains. Industry investment in research likewise continues, but it’s not typically focused on pure or basic research, rather it often emphasizes iterative product improvement over true innovation.
NTT believes we need basic research because truly groundbreaking technologies aren’t developed overnight, or from a single “Aha!” moment-although such moments may contribute. Indeed, many ubiquitous technologies that we take for granted today were all fostered by years of basic research, including the transistor, GPS and the internet.
Founded in 2019 to focus on such long-term, groundbreaking work, NTT Research aims to make its own mark on the technology landscape. It was born of NTT’s rich lineage of breakthrough research and development, as the NTT R&D Lab in Tokyo has more than 1,600 patents to its name. Furthermore, it’s no accident that NTT Research is based in Silicon Valley, an area rich with academic and commercial institutions renowned for cutting-edge research. NTT Research actively seeks to partner with other research organizations locally and around the globe, and has dozens of such partnerships in place, not unlike CERN.